MORE4CORE: International collaboration to strengthen innovation in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul industries

Partners from four European countries will collaborate to accelerate innovation, education and support policy development in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO)

The project will bring together industry, service providers, education and government to jointly set out strategies to strengthen the sector and improve cross-border cooperation

MRO is crucial to maintain competitiveness of our industries and improve sustainability of production processes.

Global competition is tough, and investments in European manufacturing facilities are generally declining. North-West Europe has traditionally been the powerhouse of industries including Automotive, Chemical and High tech, but production assets and workforces are ageing. All the while, investments increasingly shift to low wage countries.

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul is the multi-disciplinary business function responsible for optimal operations (in terms of Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety) of production assets over their lifetime. Maintenance performs a key function in the enhancement of productivity and environmental sustainability.

There are, however, barriers to using MRO to its full potential. Innovation in maintenance of complex systems lags far behind other sectors, with transnational innovation and R&D cooperation extremely limited limited. Similarly limited mobility of transnational workers reduces access to expertise. Differences in national maintenance norms and standards further fragment markets.

The MORE4CORE project is the first if its kind in Europe. The project partners jointly represent over 7,000 companies, with EFNMS alone already representing some 6,500. Between them, they account for more than 500,000 jobs and maintain over 57 Billion Euros worth of assets.